Mou Ikkai
by ouiri-chan
Summary: Alfred has the same dream over and over. He always dies. Suddenly, a transfer student named Kiku appears, who is exactly the boy who he sees in them. Determined to find out the secret behind his dreams, Alfred decides to approach him. Gakuen!AU
1. Chapter 1

_There was a scream behind him, but he didn't stop running. The voice was the only thing he heard, the normally soft voice now screaming his lungs out. It was dark, but he knew where the voice came from._

"_ALFRED! DON'T GO THERE!"_

_But no, he had to go there. There isn't any possible way anything bad can happen, right? He looked back and grinned at the slender boy. His deep black eyes he knew so well was wide and filled with fear, and he clutched his necktie so tightly, his hands were shaking. No, he wasn't usually like this. He knew that boy so well, he wasn't the type to get scared._

"_C'mon," Alfred laughed, halting right in the middle of the room. "There's no possible way he could be—"_

_Suddenly, a sharp pain erupted from his stomach. Wide eyed, he looked down, and his vision blurred. Dark red liquid slowly stained his beige sweater…and a knife stuck out of it. His mind went fuzzy, and he suddenly lost his voice. He felt sweat drip down his face, and he was shaking uncontrollably._

"_Ki—"he choked, clutching the knife with his hands. He heard whimpering, and looked up. The black haired man fell to his knees, and looking at him. No. He was looking _past_ him. He looked back to see_

_A mask. Its eyeholes were deep, and empty. Its twisted smile painted on it, giving it a cruel look. He looked back at the boy, now tears streaming down his pale face. He heard a cold voice, innocent yet cruel, behind him._

"_Looks like I win." The masked man giggled. He began to lose his vision; and his knees buckled. The pain was too much. When he looked down at his hands, it was stained red. No. No, it can't be. It can't be…_

"_No…" The boy whimpered. "No…not again…" His mind slowly slipped away. No…No...He was the hero…he couldn't just die…he can't leave the boy. He was precious. He didn't know why, but he had to protect him. Protect him from the masked man,_

_He had to-!_

"Alfred, your pancakes are ready, eh—AUGH!"

Alfred blinked and sat up. He saw his brother sprawled on the floor, rubbing his cheek. "Oh, sorry Matt," He laughed. Matthew just sighed and got back up, shaking his head which caused his gold locks to get messed up.

"Punching people isn't anyone's first instinct when they wake up, eh." Matthew grumbled softly as he swatted his brother's head, which didn't hurt of course.

Alfred grinned guiltily and stretched. "Sorry," he sighed, "I've had some pretty messed up dreams lately."

Matthew nodded in acknowledgement. "Same thing?" he asked. When the other nodded, it was Matthew's turn to sigh, and he patted his shoulder, as if it was a silent 'hang in there'. "Well, they're just dreams, Al. You won't die. Pancakes are ready."

Alfred hummed, and got out of bed. _Just a dream, huh, _he thought glumly. _These dreams are pretty realistic. _The pain, the cold voice, the boy;

Of course, he didn't know who the boy was to begin with. They seemed tight though, they were best friends to say the least. He also vaguely heard that cruel voice before, though he didn't know either. The room wasn't familiar at all, though he's seen it so many times in his dreams. He kept having the same dream for the past week. It must be some sort of mental illness.

Alfred shook his head fiercely. "This is all too confusing." He declared to nobody in particular, as he stepped into the shower. The warm water drenched his blonde hair, and he kept his baby blues closed as he relished the feeling. It was strange to have the same dream over and over, especially since he didn't recognize _anything_ there.

"It sure is weird." He murmured under his breath as he reached out for the soap.

xxx

"You took your time." Matthew commented as Alfred settled onto a chair and started shoveling his tender made pancakes into his mouth. "We have around twenty minutes 'til class starts, eh."

"You're such a worrywart, Matt," Alfred said cheerfully as he drenched his pancakes with molten butter and maple syrup. "We'll get there in time!"

"You said that yesterday," Matthew sighed, looking disdainfully at the copious amount of fat on his brother's pancakes before set his plate on the sink. He finished long before Alfred came down. "We were late by thirty minutes." Alfred merely laughed and ate the rest of his pancake in one swallow. Still chewing, he wiped his mouth with the sleeve of his bomber jacket, stood up, and grabbed the bag from the counter. Matthew did the same and they both ran out their house towards the school bus stop.

xxx

"_Mon dieu, _Alfred." Francis whispered, poking him on the back of his head with a pencil. "It's still a shock that you don't have detention until now." Alfred looked back from his seat just to shoot him a sixty-watt smile that should've sent girls swooning (or at least, that was what he thought.) and gave a thumb up.

"It's not our fault anyway!" Alfred grinned, which earned titters from the class. "Our bus wasn't there when we arrived at the stop! Besides, me and Mattie were ultra-fast when we ran, so we're actually really early—"

"Shut up, Jones." The homeroom teacher said irritably, without looking up from his notebook. "We don't need to hear your pathetic excuse to come to class late." He was writing some formulas on the board, and stopped just to give his younger cousin a good glare. Alfred whined.

"But Arthur—"

"It's Mr. Kirkland, Jones."

"But I had a perfectly good excuse!" Alfred argued. The class was far too used to the constant bickering between the two, and didn't even bother to snicker at the sour expression Arthur shot.

"I'll mark you present if you just belt up, alright?" the teacher sighed, pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose. Alfred cheered and class resumed. The American turned around to face Francis once more, who had a lopsided smile plastered all over his face. Alfred grimaced as he snapped in front of Francis's gaze.

"Dude, at least try to hide your face when you fantasize about my cousin." Alfred rolled his eyes. "It gets creepy if you keep doing that."

"Well you should see the girls' expressions." A nearby albino by the name of Gilbert snorted, leaning back into his chair. "It's far more disgusting than what Fran's doing. Can't blame them though. Even _I _would tap him."

Arthur Kirkland was Alfred's older cousin, and was fresh out of a British university with a teaching degree. It just so happens the first school to accept him was Alfred's school in America, and he wound up being Alfred's homeroom and chemistry teacher. He was _very_ popular among the girls, and some guys. He was generally very courteous, just like a gentleman, though he did have a rough side, like the nose ring he had, and his hair was never tamed. Also, his accent never failed to make his students melt. But he did have a sharp tongue, and that kept most people at bay.

"_Mon cher, il est parfait." _Francis sighed. Yes, Francis had his eyes for only him. Though he flirted with many girls and boys, he secretly went out with the Brit, and never hesitated to flirt with him in the corridors. (Arthur would try to shake him off, but it always failed.)

"He's a parfait?" Alfred frowned, "Isn't that like, ice cream?" Gilbert silently giggled, and Francis pouted. Without a word, he ignored Alfred. Alfred resumed his gaze at the sky.

"Also class, we have a transfer student coming from Japan." Mr. Kirkland said, after erasing the board. "He'll be coming in today, though I don't really know what time."

"We have transfer student?" Gilbert smirked, tapping his pen on his desk. "I wonder if he can reach my level of awesomeness. Maybe he's—"

"Mhmm," Alfred nodded while his mind wandered elsewhere. He caught Arthur saying "changing schools often," "midterm" and other things, though he stopped paying attention completely. He completely focused on figuring out who's cruel voice he heard in his dream…He vaguely remembered light mocha hair…

"…Yo Alfred, you can't just ignore me!" Gilbert groaned, throwing a paper ball at him. Alfred blinked and adjusted his glasses. "Geez, you can't pay attention for at least two minutes, can you?"

"Sorry," Alfred laughed. "Anyway, what were you saying?"

Gilbert breathed deeply and was about to start his explanation before Mr. Kirkland cleared his throat.

"Class," Mr. Kirkland said, "Jones, Beilschmidt, end your chit chat back there. The transfer student arrived. I'll leave the introduction to him." With that, the transfer student entered, and Alfred's eyes went so wide, you could see the white all around his eyes.

"Good Afternoon, everyone. My name is Kiku Honda." The transfer student said solemnly, his dark eyes blank. His attire was neat, with his shirt smoothed out despite the grey jacket he wore. His short hair was jet black, and his bangs were neatly combed. His eyes swept the whole class and lingered on Alfred for a moment.

Alfred just stared. They both made eye contact, and Alfred swore he saw a hint of pain behind those blank eyes. Just like the look in his dream. Before he could do anything, Kiku faced the whole class again and bowed. "Please take care of me."

"Alright, Kiku." Mr. Kirkland said promptly. "Seeing as you're new around here, I'll have to assign someone to show you around. Now, who seems proper…"

Alfred immediately raised his hand wildly. "Arthur! Arthur! I'll be his guide!" he grinned, and Mr. Kirkland grimaced. Kiku just stared before closing his eyes.

"It's quite alright, Jones, I think—" Mr. Kirkland began before Alfred shook his head fiercely. "No Ar—Mr. Kirkland sir! I know the school inside out!" Alfred tried to smile his best smile. A long and hard silence befell the class. Before long, Mr. Kirkland sighed and nodded. "Fine by me." He grumbled. "Alright Kiku, you can sit in front of that idiotic Jones there." He gestured at the empty seat.

"Of course," Kiku acknowledged before making his way to his seat. As soon as he sat down, Alfred immediately tapped him on the shoulder.

"Hey," Alfred whispered. "um, Kiku, Do I…know you?"

Kiku's eyes widened for a split second before he coughed into his sleeve. "…I'm sorry; I believe we haven't met before."

"But I think we _have_." Alfred persisted, earning a few curious looks by nearby classmates. He continued with a softer tone. "You see, I've seen you in my—"

"I'm sorry Alfred-kun, I don't think we've seen each other until now." Kiku replied politely before facing the blackboard. "It's nice to meet you, and I look forward to our tour." He said as if he's said it a million times. It was clearly shown that Kiku wouldn't talk about it anymore.

Alfred sighed and leaned back. It was then something clicked in his head, and he leaned forward again to call the Japanese man's attention. Kiku looked tiredly at him.

"Alfred-kun, I know you might've seen me somewhere, but—"

"Hey Kiku, how do you know my name?" Alfred inquired. "I don't really recall anyone telling you my _first _name."

Kiku was silent, and only the voice of Arthur droned in the background. It felt like forever, until Kiku spoke again.

"I believe I saw your name in the class list briefly. Mr. Kirkland called you Jones, yes? You're the only Jones in the class list." He said shortly. Alfred's face was crestfallen, and Kiku sighed, and gave him a soft smile.

"Alfred-kun, please do not mistake my behavior as being cold." He said kindly, albeit still polite. "If we _have_ met before, I'll say it's nice to see you again. Please pay attention to Mr. Kirkland's discussion now."

Alfred sighed and nodded, before returning to his cheerful demeanor. "So I get to tour you around right?" he said brightly. "Man, you should see our field! You can practically play any sport there! Oh, and the canteen actually has gourmet! Sweet huh? Also—"

"Jones, save the tour for lunch!" Arthur barked, and the class giggled. Even Kiku smiled a bit.

_Later,_ Alfred said to himself, _I'll ask about it next time._

A/N

**Whew. C: Okay, this is my new series! Yes, I plan to finish No Reason, and yeaaaahhh…I'll try to continue my final fantasy fanfic too ;u; Having multiple series can jog my writer's block along.**

**Oooh, mysterious Kiku oooh clueless Alfred~ believe it or not, there **_**is**_** a reason why Kiku's being cold and unemotional 8D you'll have to stick around to find out!**


	2. Chapter 2

Alfred kept quiet for the rest of the period. He'd try to catch Kiku's attention, but it was as if he avoided any eye contact at all. Frowning, Alfred grumbled and slumped on his seat. It was either Kiku was partially immune to all sound but the teacher's voice, or he was used to the annoying tactics that the American pulled. Either way, Alfred didn't get the attention he wanted.

"Shut up, Beilschmidt." Alfred groaned as he threw his spare pencil at him, who was giggling as if there was something entertaining in front of him.

"Are you trying to get the guy to look at you?" he whispered, loud enough so only both of them could hear. "You ain't doing any good. He seems to be so in love with whatever Kirkland's saying."

"Shut up." Alfred repeated quietly. "I'm not _hitting_ on him or anything. I just need to ask him about what Arthur's talking about." When Gilbert snickered, Alfred shot him his best glare. "Besides, I don't see _you_ having a take at a relationship."

Gilbert snorted. "As if the awesome me needs to look for it. I already got one." When Alfred stared, he just smirked. "But are _you _trying to hook up with that kid? He's around half your size."

"No I'm not!" Alfred huffed. It was then he felt something hard sharply hitting him on the head. He blinked then looked down to see it was…

…chalk?

"Jones," Arthur said quietly. "If you will keep talking, I will personally tell your mother about this."

The class snickered as Alfred shrank in his place. Alfred didn't want to admit it, but he was dead scared of his mother. It wasn't like she wasn't nice, she was really sweet. But Alfred knew how he barely missed as his mother suddenly threw a butter knife at his head. It wasn't that dangerous, but it was still a knife.

"Y-Yes Arthur." Alfred mumbled as he looked away. Arthur frowned and went back to his lecture.

"You should learn to actually keep your voice down." Gilbert rolled his eyes before scribbling a few notes that were written on the board. Alfred couldn't hide the growing blush as he realized that if _Arthur_ could hear what they were talking about, it was pretty impossible for Kiku to ignore. He glanced at the Japanese boy anxiously, hoping that Kiku actually tuned out what they said. To his horror and confusion, Kiku _was _staring at him, but instead of surprise or disgust, he had a small smile on his face. Before Alfred could ask about it, Kiku quietly handed him his notebook, and faced Arthur once more. Surprised at the silent exchange, he opened his notebook to find every page filled with notes in neat, slightly spiky handwriting.

Every single topic and equation Arthur discussed in class up until today was written and explained thoroughly in all pages. There were even topics that Alfred didn't even take up yet. Gilbert and Francis looked over the notes while Alfred just stared at it.

"Is he some sort of genius?" Gilbert said in wonder, while Francis nodded in agreement. "This dude knows more than Kirkland!"

"Well," Alfred grinned. "He lent it to me, so it's time to make good use of it!" With that, he started scribbling furiously everything on his notebook while Arthur droned on.

* * *

><p>"Hey Kiku!" Alfred said cheerfully, patting Kiku on the back. "Thanks for lending me your notes! Did you come from an advanced school or something?"<p>

"Not any that I've known," Kiku mumbled, fidgeting in place. "I just took these up in my previous schools."

Alfred frowned at the shyness, but held his arm and dragged him towards a group of students chattering loudly. Oddly enough, Kiku didn't complain, or as much as stutter in protest. _He's a weird kid._ Alfred thought, before presenting themselves to the group. "Hey guys! We're taking the transfer with us!" he grinned.

"You're taking the new guy with us?" Gilbert smirked before holding out his hand. "Guten Tag! Full name's Gilbert Beillschmidt. Usually I go by 'awesome' but Gilbert's fine."

Kiku took his hand and shook it with a slight bow. "Pleased to meet you, I'm Kiku Honda."

"Mon cher, we know your name," Francis purred while draping his arm over Kiku's shoulders, who shuddered at contact. "But I'm rather interested in knowing who you are inside—"

"Yo Francis," Alfred sighed, pulling Kiku towards him. "Don't get all touchy feeling on his first day."

"_You're _being clingy to him too." A cheerful guy pointed out, his smile so wide it could've been compared to Alfred's. When both Alfred and Kiku turned red, he laughed and swept his chestnut hair out of his face. "Hola! I'm Antonio Fernandez Carriedo. But everyone says that's long—"laughs, " So it's Antonio for short."

"H-hello, Francis-san, Antonio-san." Kiku said uncertainly. Francis laughed.

"Okay everybody!" Alfred cheered, "Introductions are over! I wanna show Kiku around, starting with the cafeteria—"

"Alfred-kun," Kiku pointed towards a student with blonde hair, just like Alfred's, except longer, and a stubborn strand sticking out. "Who is that…?"

"I can't believe you forgot your own brother, Al." Gilbert snorted before dragging the boy closer. He seemed nervous, and adjusted his glasses frequently. The student whined but Gilbert just sighed and brought him to the group.

"I-It's nice to meet you, Kiku. I'm Matthew. Matthew Williams. Alfred's brother." He said softly, extending his hand. Kiku shook it and gave a tiny smile in return. "It's nice to meet you too, Matthew-san."

"Sorry Matt!" Alfred laughed, pulling his arm and ignored Matthew's squeak. "So now that everybody's introduced, let's go to the cafeteria! I'm starving man, you hungry? I sure am!"

"That is quite disgusting." Francis wrinkled his nose at the sight of the gigantic burger in front of the American. The American in question was chewing it loudly while talking at the same time.

"It's not disgusting!" Alfred laughed after swallowing. "It tastes way better than that escargot you eat. Now _that's _disgusting."

"You Americans don't have any taste at all!" Francis replied. "At least Europeans have a decent tongue for it."

"For your info, Arthur's taste buds are worse than mine," he pointed out, "And second, you're American too!"

The two began to bicker back and forth about Francis' nationality while Kiku sat there, quietly eating his rice balls, watching the two with a sort of amusement. Matthew, who sat beside him, sighed. "They're always like this, sorry 'bout that." He apologized. "So Kiku, um, so I hear you're from Japan? How long have you been staying in America?"

"For about four years," Kiku replied, "Throughout the years, I've grown accustomed to its...language and food."

Matthew chuckled. "I've noticed. Your English is good, eh. You should hear Alfred; his English is completely American."

"Yeah it is." Gilbert cackled while picking his mashed potatoes. He leaned forward to face the two of them. "At least Mattie here can cook better pancakes."

"That has no nothing to do with my language!" Alfred said indignantly. The whole table laughed and talked on.

Alfred noticed that Kiku slowly got used to the crowd, occasionally slipping a comment into the conversation. He wasn't much of a talker, but he was a good guy to be around. He didn't smile that much either, but you could feel a calming air around him.

"So Kiku," Gilbert yawned, leaning back. "What's up with this 'kun' and 'san' thing? I guess it's a Japanese thing, but what does it mean?"

"Ano…" Kiku paused, but Alfred suddenly burst out, "oh, I know! It's because it's like an honorific ain't it? Like 'san' means Mister, Misses, or Miss, and kun means something like 'close friend' or it's used for school mates, and 'chan' is pretty much the same, except for girls!" He grinned while everyone just stared at him.

"You seem to know an awful lot about it." Francis snorted, before sucking his last snail shell.

Alfred eyed the sight with disgust, before turning to Kiku and the others. "Anyway, so yeah! I actually watch anime and that stuff." He said sheepishly. Matthew giggled, before getting a curious look from the Japanese student.

"Ah yes." Matthew chuckled. "Alfred also collects anime figures. Most of 'em have those big jugs, eh."

Gilbert wolf whistled while Alfred turned crimson and started to glare at his brother. "Thanks, bro."

Matthew grinned. "No problem, bro." With that, he returned to finishing the rest of his pancakes. "Wha—hey Gilbert!" he complained, as Gilbert forked a whole pancake and shoved it in his mouth.

"Good as always, eh." Gilbert smirked while Matthew frowned at his mocking of his speech. He turned back to Kiku, who had a small smile on his face at the sight of two of them. Matthew looked curiously at him before Kiku shook his head slightly and went back to observing everyone.

Alfred, who gave up in an argument with Francis, went back to talking to him. "So as I was saying Kiku," he glared at his brother before smiling again. "Yeah, I watch anime! Do you watch anime? I bet you do! You're Japanese! You should come to my house sometime. We can play videogames and watch!" he laughed, even though the whole table covered their faces with their hands.

"Sorry," Matthew apologized once more. "Sometimes my brother's very oblivious to your culture."

"No, it's fine." Kiku bowed. "It's natural to think like this. It seems to be the culture we're most known for, besides our technology." He turned to Alfred. "Also, it'd be my pleasure to come over. I have a fair share of manga volumes." Alfred's expression thoroughly brightened.

"That's great!" he grinned enthusiastically, "This weekend then? We'll invite everyone over!"

Gilbert and Francis snickered while Antonio just smiled at the whole scene before him. Kiku smiled a bit too. It seemed like everyone else knew something that Alfred didn't.

"What's up?" Alfred huffed. "I'm just asking if you guys are free this weekend."

Everyone exchanged knowing glances at each other. Matthew sighed, "I suppose we're all free, Al."

Francis shook his head. "Desole, mon cher, but I have plans on the weekend." He stole a glance at their homeroom teacher sitting down in a table with the other teachers. Arthur glanced back before quickly looking at his food. Francis smirked and looked back at the original group.

"Nice time bed, mmm?" Antonio smirked as Francis pouted. Alfred laughed.

"Okay guys!" He said, "I'ma show Kiku around, so catch ya guys later!" Shortly after that, he sped off to the school gym with Kiku in tow.

Gilbert whistled.

"Been a while since he was hyped up about someone." He snorted. "I swear, Alfred _really _doesn't know how to be, uh, what's the word…?"

"Subtle." Antonio added. "And yes, he's almost as clear as how I shower Lovi with my love, and that's really not subtle at all." He giggled after. "Ooh I wonder how Lovi is. I'll go find him now!" and he went to the other table, where a cursing Italian almost punched him in the gut.

"Anyway," Matthew said, "yeah, but I can't tell whether Kiku likes him back…"

"It's their first day," Francis laughed, draping his arm over the blonde. "Give 'em time, mon cher."

"Hey," Gilbert said warningly, brushing Francis' arm off Matthew, "Don't go molesting your cousin there." When Francis raised his eyebrow, he just grinned. "Wouldn't want complications right?" he leered.

Francis shrugged and looked at the spot Alfred and Kiku was a few minutes ago. "Though really, I wonder what's up with him." He mumbled. Before watching Matthew and Gilbert bicker.

* * *

><p><strong>AN**

**Derp derp derp**

**Hey guys! This isn't as long as last time's, but it's still long…right? /shot;; so anyway, yes, I have spent time on this chapter, though it isn't my best. But yes I wonder who Francis' referring to…ooh mystery…**

**Okay I'll stop.**


	3. Chapter 3

It's been a week since Kiku's transfer, and he started getting comfortable. That's what Alfred thought at least. He was really grateful since Kiku seemed to know a _lot_ about his classes, and seemingly knew everything by heart. Whenever Alfred didn't understand, he was fine with teaching him. Kiku also got along well with Francis and everyone, so that loosened him up a bit. Alfred got more comfortable with Kiku around as well, and he started opening up to him a lot more, even if he didn't talk much back. The whole week sped by so fast; Alfred hardly knew it was Saturday already.

Alfred sighed and stood by his door. Of course he wasn't _waiting _for Kiku. He was just hanging around. Looking at plants. Yeah.

He ruffled his hair and straightened his glasses to see Matthew going down the stairs. Everyone was here, except, well, Kiku. Alfred turned his grin back on, and said "Hey Mattie! What's up?"

"Well," Matthew said, smirking. "I was wondering when you'll stop being a school girl waiting for her crush and play."

Alfred laughed. "'course not! A hero doesn't wait, right? Just making sure that the, uh, the mat's all straight! See?" He fixed the maroon mat on his doorstep with his foot.

Clearly, Matthew wasn't convinced. "Well, you know we'll all be in your room." He said, "There's a riot upstairs." As if on cue, Gilbert's yelling and Antonio's laughing rang out.

Alfred smiled and nodded. "Beat everyone's ass for me, bro!" With a grumble, Matthew headed upstairs with a final 'eh'.

Suddenly, the shrill doorbell rang, and Alfred quickly opened the door. There stood Kiku in a white shirt with the sleeves rolled up. His cropped, black pants were held up by the black suspenders that clung to his shoulders. Alfred liked his yellow espadrilles as well.

"Hey!" Alfred grinned, holding the door open. "Welcome to the Hero's H.Q! Also, you're pretty dressed up!"

Kiku bowed a bit, saying "It's something I'm comfortable with." He said with a small smile. "Please take care of me."

"Yeah yeah," Alfred laughed before pulling him in. "Anyway, everyone's here, so you're kinda late. They're upstairs, making a riot." He led Kiku across the hall and into his room.

All you could say about Alfred's room was that it was very bright. If not, downright blinding. His walls were shocking blue, and the American flag was pinned up on one side of the wall. A batman themed bed sheet covered his Queen-sized bed, and a red lamp stood in the corner, giving off a warm, yellow light. His wooden floor boards were creaky and had scratches everywhere, and everyone sat down there, with his TV atop a wooden table in front of them. His PS3 and Wii wasn't that far off either.

When Matthew said there was a riot, he wasn't kidding. Gilbert was yelling at the screen and Matthew tried to keep him quiet. Antonio was laughing (and seemingly winning) while the same dark haired Italian from last week cussed loudly while smacking Antonio's head with his fist, though he didn't mind. On the otherhand, a man who looked exactly like the Italian was playing, while chattering to a muscular blonde beside him, who was trying to get the young man to play right, forcefully. Everyone was yelling and talking and laughing at the same time, Alfred and Kiku barely make out what they were saying.

"Augh, Feliciano! Straighten up! Jump over that cliff—No! You just missed it, idiot!"

"Sorry, Ludwig! I—I don't know how to make it jump, ve…"

"Ahahaha Lovi, you can hold on to me if you don't know how to hang onto that block!"

"Bastard, I know how!"

"Hah, Mattie look, I stomped on that fucking monster just like that!"

"Gil, calm your shit down…"

"Everyone, shut up!" Alfred called out cheerily, before and everybody stopped talking to look at the owner of the house. "Kiku's here! Now Kiku, you know Antonio, Gilbert, and Matt already, so I'd like to introduce to you—"

"Kiku!" The cheerful Italian cried out, before jumping to his feet and engulfing the other in a tight hug. "I've missed you so, so much, ve! It's been so many years since we've last seen you! You're still short as ever!" he laughed.

"A-Ah," Kiku stuttered, trying to loosen the Italian's grip on him. "It's nice to see you to, Feliciano-kun."

The taller blonde looked up to see who was the newcomer and nodded. "It's good to see you again, Kiku." he said with a slight grin. Kiku nodded with a smile in return before successfully prying off Feliciano.

"It's nice to see you again, Ludwig-san." He said politely.

Alfred was thoroughly confused at the interaction. "Uh, hey, do you guys know each other…?"

"We went to the same elementary before I transferred to another school." Kiku quickly explained. "Back then, Feliciano-kun and Ludwig-san were my two friends."

Feliciano giggled. "Eh, you're being too modest! We were really close back then! We ate together during breaks!" He flitted towards Ludwig's side. "Kiku! Guess what! Ludwig and I are neighbors! Isn't that great?" he cheered while Ludwig turned slightly pink.

Kiku chuckled. "That's wonderful, Feli-kun." He said. Feliciano grinned and snuggled him. "F-Feli-kun, I can't breathe…"

Alfred, on the other hand, looked away awkwardly. It was like he suddenly regretted inviting Ludwig and Feliciano. He shrugged the feeling off and grinned. "Uh, so I guess we don't need introductions anymore!" He automatically sat down and picked up a controller. "So what are you guys playing?"

Ludwig sighed as Feliciano resumed his place on Ludwig's lap. "Lovino wanted an easy game, but the only game that's easy was Little Big Planet, so we're playing it." Ludwig explained wearily.

"_Bastardo_, I can play any game you throw at me!" The Feliciano lookalike snarled, snatching up his controller once more and leading his sack boy across the stage. He glanced and nodded at Kiku's direction. "Hey Kiku,"

"Good to see you, Lovino-kun." Kiku replied.

Alfred shook his head. "Right!" he chortled. "Restart the game! I wanna beat all of you!"

And then they raced against each other, with Alfred easily in the lead.

Matthew's sack boy was a close second, if it weren't for Gilbert poking his cheek every so often, which often resulted to elbowing him and momentarily losing his concentration.

Feliciano, on the other hand, was third, but he kept wailing whenever he fell off a cliff, and Ludwig tried to teach him how to hold onto a block. Trying in Ludwig's book meant yelling "Idiot! Press R2 to hold onto that swinging block! _This is the sixth time you fell already, and on the same cliff!"_

Antonio and Lovino were the last, and they were obviously trying to outrace each other. Antonio was entirely amused at Lovino's effort to get past him, whereas Lovino just cursed and exerted effort in just keeping up with the Spaniard.

Alfred snuck a glance at Kiku every so often. He seemed really amused by everyone's effort. When Kiku looked at him, their eyes locked for a moment, and Alfred felt his neck grow warm all of a sudden, he broke eye contact and concentrated once more.

* * *

><p>"Fuck this." Lovino cursed as he tossed his controller on the floor. He was last place for the umpteenth time.<p>

Alfred laughed and patted Lovino's back. "S'alright! You'll win in other games anyway." Lovino glared half-heartedly at him before intently sitting closer to Antonio, with a scowl on his face. Alfred shook his head and offered the extra controller to Kiku. "Your turn!" He grinned.

Kiku shook his head. "Ah, it's quite alright…"

"C'mon!" Alfred pouted. "What's the point of going all the way here if you aren't gonna play?" He tossed the controller towards his direction. "'sides, it's an easy game." He grinned.

Kiku nimbly caught it and sighed. "As you wish,"

They restarted.

Kiku won the round, taking all the points.

Everyone's jaw hung open, except Alfred, who wrinkled his nose.

"Let's play again!" he said stubbornly.

Thus, they played round after round after round, and Kiku won everything. Gilbert started complaining as the Alfred and Kiku kept moving onwards, and leaving all the others off screen.

"Ve, Alfred…you guys are going too fast…"

"Yeah man, it's totally not awesome to leave us behind…"

But Kiku and Alfred didn't listen. They played game after game after game, and everyone just gave up. They all just watched them play, occasionally throwing a taunt at Alfred, who was constantly losing.

After the twelfth restart, Alfred flung his controller in exasperation. "There's something wrong with this controller!" he huffed.

Antonio and Gilbert snickered. "We fully checked the controllers, and nothing was wrong." Antonio pointed out with an easy going smile.

"Yeah, you just can't accept he's the winner." Gilbert smirked. Alfred glared at him, "well it's not like you played!"

The two started to bicker once again.

The corners of Kiku's lips twitched upward, but didn't smile quite yet. "I'll be in the rest room." Kiku called out, before making his way to the next room. Alfred tore away from Gilbert for a split second to just look at the door Kiku closed a few moments ago. Gilbert clearly took notice and cackled.

"What?" Alfred said defensively.

"You really _do_ like him, don't you?" Gilbert smirked.

"Piss off, I've only known him for a week." Alfred scoffed, though he felt his cheeks flush.

"So your door's just _that_ gorgeous, huh?"

"And Matthew acts manly."

"Don't drag me into this, eh."

Gilbert snickered, "He _does_ have a point, Matt."

Matthew let out a frustrated 'eh' and they started to discuss his masculinity, while Alfred was left alone to his own devices.

It was absurd, he thought, it's only been a week, and that was way too short of a time to like him. Sure, he found it intriguing that a guy who was from his dreams magically appeared in his class (Alfred covered his face with his hand as he realized how he phrased it,) and he wanted to find out more. After a while, Kiku didn't seem bad. He was kinda cool, really. After the week, he started genuinely enjoying his company, but like him non-platonically? Of course not! All he wanted to find out was why he happened to be in his dream.

Oh right. That's the reason why he invited him in the first place.

_Could he be a secret agent from Japan? Nah, that didn't explain his power…Or maybe he was just like those X-Men! He probably has mind powers! That sounds so rad...man I wish I had mind powers. But why would he break into my mind? Could it be that _I'm_ the key? Oh my god, this is just like the movies! I'm the hero! Kiku's probably the bad guy!_

…_But he seems like a nice kid…Maybe he's the damsel in distress! There's probably some evil villain who's forcing Kiku to probe my mind! Hehehehe…_

Common sense stopped him from going further.

"This is so annoying!" Alfred cried out loud, messing his hair up. Matthew looked curiously over him before shaking his head, bemused.

Just then, Kiku came back in. He blinked. "Ano, are we still going to play?"

Alfred snapped out of his soliloquy and grinned. "Hell yeah we are! We have a score to settle! Gilbert! Ludwig! It's your turn to play!"

Thus, they played again once more, along with the riot that came with it.

"Yo, Ludwig! Your sack boy looks so un-awesome."

"Keep quiet, Bruder,"

"Ve~ I fell off the cliff again!"

"Hahaha! Feliciano, it's the R2, remember?"

"Ah right! Thank you, Alfred."

"Feli-kun, your sack boy's right in between—"

"Ah!"

"I TOLD YOU IT WAS AN ENEMY."

"Ve! Sorry! Sorry Ludwig—!"

"Hey Ludwig, can you pull that block for your older brother~?"

"No I won't."

"Aw, why not?"

"You're going to leave us all behind once you climb it."

"Oh hey, the block magically got pulled, sweet!"

"Alfred…that was me, eh…"

* * *

><p>"Man! All this playing beat the hell out of me." Alfred stretched and fell backwards, with his glasses slightly askew.<p>

"That's all you've got to say?" Gilbert said dubiously. "You've made us play sixty fuckin' rounds. I'm sick of watching the same stage over and over."

"Ve~ but you were good too, Gil…" Feliciano said, back flat on the floor. Ludwig seemed weary as well, but he just shook his head.

"Bruder was using cheats, wasn't he?" Ludwig said grimly. "We never ran out of lives, even if you fell numerous times."

"Eh, details." He replied simply. He leaned against Alfred's bed, "hey, do you have food? Sausages? I'm starving."

Alfred frowned and scratched his head. "…Burgers…" Everyone wrinkled their nose. "Hey! They're really good!" he defended.

"We're not saying it isn't," Antonio said cheerily. "We're just saying that it's the only thing you feed us!" He hugged Lovino from the back, who seemed thoroughly disgruntled.

"But burgers are good!" Alfred whined. "Do any of you know anything better?"

Alfred looked around expectantly. Just then, Kiku spoke up.

"I may be of assistance." He said, hesitant. Everyone instantly perked up at his word. Feliciano and Antonio cheered.

"Something other than burgers!"

Alfred frowned, but shook his head once again. "Fine," He grumbled. "At least let me show you the way to the kitchen?" he added.

Kiku nodded and followed after.

* * *

><p>"So Kiku," Alfred began, as he started to heat the grill. "Uh, what's up?" They worked on opposite counters so their backs were facing each other.<p>

"Nothing much," Kiku replied. "I bought a new game, but that's it." He sliced a few mangoes, and lined them neatly in each rice covered seaweed wrap.

"What game?" Alfred asked, as he started grilling burgers.

"A new Mario game," Kiku promptly said back. "How about you, Alfred-kun? I can tell there's something in your mind."

Alfred kept quiet as he flipped a burger.

"Alfred-kun?"

"Why do you address me as 'kun'?" Alfred finally asked, glancing at the other. "From what I know, kun is either for school mates or close friends."

"But you _are_ my school mate." Kiku pointed out.

Alfred shook his head. "You refer to everyone as 'san' though, and that's way more formal. Do you know me? As in, before you moved here."

Kiku kept quiet for a moment as he rolled the seaweed into a sushi roll. "I thought we discussed it? We've never met prior to my transfer." He cut them up into pieces. "Perhaps we met long ago, and that triggered your nostalgia."

"It doesn't explain why you refer to me as a close friend."

"Do you think we aren't?" Kiku asked casually, though his voice betrayed a bit of sadness.

Alfred, for some inexplicable reason, turned red at the question. "W-well…I've only known you for a week, and…yeah, you seem like a pretty good guy, so I…guess we are?" he mumbled, flipping another burger onto a plate. He leaned against the counter.

"Well then, I guess that's settled." Kiku said. Alfred swore that he saw him smile, but he figured it was a trick of the light.

"But then why did you call me that on the first—"

"Alfred-kun," Kiku interrupted. "Can this matter wait? Your friends are quite hungry." With that, he finished another roll and sliced it. Alfred sighed and continued to slice the burgers into strips, and laid each on a sushi roll.

"Did I do it right?"

Kiku peered over his shoulder. "Yes, all you need to do now is to roll it."

Alfred concentrated on rolling it perfectly, but it ended up a lumpy cylinder. He was frustrated at how well Kiku did it with ease. "How do you do that?" he demanded.

"Do what?" Kiku asked, and sliced another sushi roll into bite sized pieces,

"Roll it so neat and uniform and stuff."

Kiku just shook his head. "I…I am not sure…"

Alfred groaned and just continued rolling the seaweed into lumpy rolls.

* * *

><p>"They really wiped it all out, didn't they?" Alfred commented, as he closed the door. After all the laughs, the teasing, and the sushi, they all went home full and satisfied, except for Alfred and Kiku, who stayed behind.<p>

"They must have not eaten breakfast." Kiku suggested.

Silence stretched before Alfred blurted out "Do you want to stay?"

Kiku stared, and Alfred felt the oh so familiar heat rising to his cheeks.

"I-I mean, do you wanna stay upstairs and play more?" he added hastily. "Of course, if you have to go, you don't have to—"

"I wouldn't mind." Kiku smiled. He smiled. He really _smiled, _and Alfred cleared his throat while rubbing his face. Damn, the heat was getting to him.

"So let's go up, shall we?" Alfred grinned, almost skipping his way upstairs. He heard Kiku chuckle softly before he followed after.

Alfred entered his room and plopped on the floor, and busied himself with inserting a Tekken CD into his Play Station. Kiku sat across him, Indian style. He glanced at Alfred but kept silent. Alfred _really _didn't like silence.

"So you transferred a lot, huh." Alfred said cheerily.

"Yes," Kiku mumbled. "Although I wouldn't call it 'a lot'. I've only transferred thrice."

Alfred blinked. "Really? Where'd you go?"

"My first was in my hometown." Kiku said. "I transferred to Tokyo because of my father's occupation. He was a businessman, and he wanted to provide for us five kids—"

"Wait a minute," Alfred interrupted, "So you're _seven _in the family?"

Kiku kept quiet, and Alfred was getting worried he might've offended the guy.

"Not exactly," Kiku mumbled. "We're six in the family."

Oh.

"I—" Alfred stammered, "I'm sorry…I didn't know, I shouldn't have—"

"It's fine." Kiku said with a small apologetic smile, "Anyway, as I was saying. We moved to Tokyo because of my father, but then…"

Alfred waited, but Kiku didn't continue. "And then…?"

"My father got into an accident." Kiku didn't elaborate.

Alfred bowed his head a bit, and thought for a bit.

"I'm sorry for your loss." Alfred mumbled, he never experienced anyone dying in his life, and this is what his parents said to anyone who lost a loved one. He never understood why it helped at all.

"You need not apologize," Kiku said quietly. "So we moved to America because the eldest in the family got a job here. He's currently working to support all five of us, and I'm on a scholarship, since my brother can't pay for everyone's education."

The Tekken game screen appeared. Alfred glanced at it before he smiled cheekily. "You've been through a lot then." Kiku tilted his head to the side.

"But today's a time to relax!" Alfred grinned, tossing a controller in his direction. (Which he caught.) "Listen, America's a place to start fresh! The school year just started anyway, so it's okay not to be serious yet! 'Sides, if ever you're in a pinch, the hero can save you!" He declared, before he accidentally poked himself too hard as he pointed to himself.

Kiku sighed, though a small smile graced his lips, "If you say so, Alfred-kun." He said lightly, taking the controller firmly. "I see you've unlocked everyone. Excellent."

"Haha! Of course, man! You ain't gonna beat me when I have Lili on my sleeve!"

"Ano…do you mean, up your sleeve?" Kiku said hesitantly.

"I—yeah, of course!" Alfred laughed. As they were about to start a round, a soft knock rang out. "Come in!" Alfred added.

"A-ah," Matthew paused halfway through the door. "I didn't know you were still here, Kiku." He offered a shy smile, which Kiku returned with a bow. "Anyway, someone came by, and he wants to come up." He added.

"Really?" Alfred blinked. "Who's—?"

"Ah, I can take it from here, comrade." A childish voice came from outside. The Alfred and Kiku visibly stiffened as the guest entered with a big smile on his face. Yes, here he was. Ivan Braginsky. A year older than Alfred, and Alfred's former friend. Or rather,

Former boyfriend.

"Da svidanya, Alfred!" Ivan greeted with a grin.

"Ahaha, why the fuck are you here?" Alfred replied cheerfully. "I don't ever remember inviting a commie into my house."

"I just came by to say hi, of course!" Ivan laughed, but his eyes were full of malice as his locked with Kiku, who in turn glared at him with so much hate, even Alfred could feel it radiating from him.

"Well," Alfred grinned, "You already said hi, and you're clearly not wanted here, so get out." He really didn't really like it. He really didn't. But…Ivan's voice…

A cold stone pitted into his stomach as something clicked in his head.

Ivan's voice was exactly like the one that killed him in his dream.

"I agree with Alfred-kun," Kiku said quietly, his eyes not leaving the Russian. "Please leave."

"Oh come on now Kiku, don't be so stiff!" Ivan said, "I came all the way to say hi to _you _after all."

Alfred's mind stopped working.

"Wait, you two _know _each other?"Alfred said in pure shock. It really didn't make any sense _how _they knew each other, since Ivan's been in America for god knows how long, whereas Kiku…only transferred this week.

"We're _well acquainted, _aren't we?" Ivan emphasized.

"…yes…" Kiku bit his lip. A tense silence followed.

"Get out, Ivan." Alfred said harshly. "You've already said your damn commie greetings."

"I'll just drop a message to your little comrade first." Ivan said, holding his hands up. He walked over towards Kiku and whispered something in his ear. For once, Alfred regretted blasting his music into his eardrums. He was practically as deaf as a 90-year-old. Kiku's eyes widened with every second passing.

"I know that, Ivan-san." He hissed.

"Just making sure!" Ivan giggled before taking his leave. He literally took his leave without a single word to either of them.

"…Well." Alfred stated as he stared at the door Ivan just touched with disgust. "That was random. What'd he say to you?"

Kiku said nothing, but shook his head. He was _shaking. _Alfred patted his back sympathetically. "No worries man, if that commie touches you again, I'm going to beat him up, don't worry."

Kiku still said nothing, but he let out a shaky sigh and slumped on the bed he had his back on.

"Hey bro, do you need a ride home?" Alfred offered. Kiku shook his head.

"If it's possible…may I stay for the night here?" he asked, "If it isn't in your inconvenience." He added hastily.

Alfred blinked, "Uh, sure. Why?"

"My house is too far." Kiku said smoothly, "I wouldn't want to awaken my siblings when we get there."

Somehow, Alfred sensed that that wasn't the only reason Kiku wanted to stay, but he wasn't complaining.

* * *

><p><em>Hi guys I made this update long for you C: hope you don't mind the extra waiting!<em>


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